Noni Madueke may not have the starting role he craves at Arsenal, but his 80th-minute winner against Nottingham Forest was proof of why Mikel Arteta values him so highly. The England winger came off the bench at half-time and smashed home a deflected strike with his weaker right foot to earn the Gunners a vital 1-0 win in their Premier League title defence — and Arteta believes the 24-year-old is now showing the “anger and conviction” of a player demanding more than substitute minutes.
Noni Madueke (Credits: BBC Sport)
From ‘Finisher’ to Difference-Maker
Arteta has a term for his substitutes: “finishers.” Madueke is determined to be more than that. Before the Forest game, he had started just one top-flight match this season — the 2-1 win over Leeds — with most of his minutes coming from the bench or in the Carabao Cup.
But opportunity is knocking. Arsenal spent the summer chasing an elite left winger, with moves for Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez falling through, before landing Christos Tzolis as Leandro Trossard’s replacement. Tzolis started the season as Arteta’s first-choice winger, but he is now sidelined with a hamstring injury picked up on Greece duty — and Madueke is seizing the gap.
He shone in the Leeds start, with Arteta saying the winger “grabbed it with both hands” and calling him the club’s best player during the international break. He then started on the right — his more natural side — against Lille in the Champions League, assisting the opening goal. Three good performances in a row, and counting.
Silencing the Doubters
It has not always been smooth. When Madueke arrived from London rivals Chelsea for £48.5m, some fans launched a “No to Madueke” petition, and his end product has been questioned ever since. Yet he helped Arsenal lift their first league title in 22 years last season and reach the Champions League final, contributing eight goals and four assists in 43 appearances.
England manager Thomas Tuchel rates him among the best one-v-one players in the game, and Arteta is equally effusive about his character. “Noni, look at me, a smile on my face because he is a special character,” the Arsenal boss said. “He is just a special guy.” When players were asked who they would call with a problem, several named Madueke — a credit, Arteta said, to the type of person he is.
Against Forest, the message from the bench was simple: “Hang in there, stick to the game plan, go out there and try to attack the opposition, be dangerous, be yourself.” Madueke did exactly that, cutting inside in the 80th minute — “I’d beaten him on the outside a couple of times so I thought I’ll come inside and just let rip” — and finding the net via a deflection.
“He is in a good moment,” Arteta said. “After the break, he is showing something else, another level of anger, another level of conviction as well as in his actions and he is becoming decisive in matches, which is what we expect from a player like him.” The finishers tag may not fit much longer.
Also Read: Noni Madueke’s Late Deflected Strike Enough as Arsenal Edge Out Nottingham Forest 1-0
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
